The invention relates to holography. Particularly, the invention relates to a holographic recording sensitive material in which the crosslinking reaction of a polymer is to be utilized and to a process for producing holograms with the use of such a sensitive material.
Briefly described, holography is a technique for reproducing a wave front from an object by recording the wavefront with a recording material such as a photographic sensitive material, while irradiating the recorded material with light. A hologram is the recording in the material, produced by the interference of a light wave from an object with another light wave interfering therewith. As practically utilizable holographic recording materials, there have been known photographic sensitive materials such as silver salts as well as many materials such as gelatin bichromate and thermoplastics. These known holographic recording materials do not always have all of the desired properties as mentioned below and have a poor workability. The desired properties of the holographic recording materials may be, for example, (1) high definition, (2) high sensitivity, (3) good resistance to moist heat, (4) good resistance to light, and (5) ease in recording and reproduction.
As materials satisfying the requirements as mentioned above, there have recently been proposed polyvinylcarbazole holographic recording materials in which the high sensitivity of an organic halogen compound is to be utilized (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) Nos. 53-15153, 54-101343 and 54-102140). These materials may utilize a crosslinking reaction and employ a halogen-containing compound as a crosslinking agent. Although the materials of this type are excellent in definition, sensitivity, and resistance to environment such as resistance to moist heat and resistance to light, they have drawbacks in that they are insensitive to light of long wavelengths or have a poor durability. This is because the sensitive wavelengths of the materials depend on the sensitive wavelengths of the employed halogen-containing compounds and, thus, it is difficult to sensitize the materials.